Santiago de Compostello
Cuisine, Sunscreen, Tambourine I've Seen '17
Looking back on a year brings back sweet memories. It’s through hard times that we take note, but it’s in the cool afterglow that we can sit back and let our hearts and minds recall the good times. This has been an amazing roller-coaster year. My 60th! My mind has been churning with...
Three Letters From Santiago
Insomnia. Lying here in my single bed, in our Spartan Nun’s cell in the former Convent on the square, I feel deep gratitude for this journey's spiritual significance. I move my feet to feel the cold part of the starched white linen sheets. The thick, ancient walls can’t keep the heat out; the...
Butch Bites The Bullet
As with much in life, unless one is 100% committed to a task, it is likely to fail or, at worst, be a disappointment. I know that if asked 5 years ago whether he’d attempt to walk halfway across Spain, Butch would’ve said “NO!” Unequivocally. The only reason he did it was that Anna (his...
Big Butch Battles Bravely
Like two pom-pom girls, we stood ready to welcome our Butch at Vigo Airport. We glimpsed him way down the passage, coming through customs long before he spotted us. He looked exhausted, thin and quite pasty (not at all like a Cornish pasty, rather grey and pale) around the gills. Lise had to...
Vigo Splish Splash And Get Sun-Kissed
It’s raining. If one’s lucky to be there when the first drops fall, one will catch the smell of rain on dusty tar, and it’s just amazing. In Redondela, we took deep breaths of the rainy air; it was heaven, but not quite like our African rain. Here, we smell dust, dry grass, and the blue of...
Kick-Ass Heroes For A Day
Although we were quite content with each other’s company and had no need to hook up with other Peregrinos, we did meet and chat with a father and son walking alongside us, which added a meaningful layer to our journey. The attraction was our feet, of course. Flip-flops! When I mentioned that...
A Flip-Flopping Peregrino On Camino
My friend sent a photograph of her amazing, knitted patchwork blanket, a gift for her grandson, the other day. I am in awe. You see, I started one too, years ago. On all our wanderings, I’d sit in the car and knit; I’ve made miles of strips and squares. They are haphazard, not all exactly...
Lise, My Camino Compañero
We have made it to Barcelos in one piece, a little bruised and battle-weary, but our spirits remain strong. We could lament the state of our toes until the cows come home, but we’re braver than that. We'll dust ourselves off and soldier on, drawing on the resilience that keeps us going. I...
Mood Swings, Puffy Feet and Cobblestones
Right from the start, this day did not augur well. Lise’s jet lag was settling in nicely, and it brought a few gremlins. The guidebook, our 'Bible', was confusing, and bad waymarks made finding the Cathedral a challenge, keeping us at loggerheads. We set off at 8.30, knowing we had a long...
Board Not Bored Walking - Setting off
This I know is true. Just as we had to take those first uncertain steps into the unknown, taking one step at a time on our Camino, I know that unless I type my first words and get on with it, I’ll never write our story. Simple as that. I have a very simple philosophy; it has stood me in good...
Buen Camino Peregrino – Introduction
Eighteen months ago, I grabbed the bull by the horns and sent the family an invitation-slash-announcement. I was setting my sights on doing the Camino Portugués before I turned 60, and I invited them to join me. I knew that if anyone would be up for it, it would be Lise. Just as well I put it...
Picture Perfect Oporto
Four nights in Porto is all I could squeeze into my itinerary. My love for Portugal is genetic. It’s not skin deep; I’m wired to love that slip of a Mediterranean country, hemmed in by Spain on one side and the ocean on the other. My aunt lived in a tiny fishing village south of Lisbon,...